Message from the Minister
The use of good quality seeds of high yielding varieties plays the most important role to increase crop production. To ensure the use of good quality seeds, they are required to be available on time and place at reasonable prices. Nepal is lagging behind in conserving diverse genetic resources, utilizing available resources in developing appropriate varieties and producing their seeds, increasing investment for seed infrastructure, and coordinating actors for smooth flow of seeds along the value chain. As a result, Nepalese market is under
the domination of global seed business and seed import is continuously rising. The demand of hybrid seeds is soaring in the Nepalese market due to their high production potential. A large quantity of hybrid seeds is imported annually from abroad to fulfil this demand. In addition, entrepreneurs' access to open pollinated seeds is easier in the international market than the domestic market. Therefore, reducing import is not possible without developing suitable hybrid and open pollinated varieties of different crops according
to farmers' choice, and making their seeds available when and where needed. The policies, programmes, and legal environment developed in the past were found ineffective to enhance the dynamism of the Nepalese seed industry, which ensure the supply of seeds according to
farmers' choice. In this context, pressing need was felt for the development of a pragmatic and holistic long term vision for the development of Nepal‟s seed sector. Realizing the ground reality of safeguarding the national interest of self sufficiency, import substitution, and export promotion of good quality seeds, National Seed Vision (2013 –2025) has been prepared. This vision is the first official document of its kind, which provides directives to all stakeholders associated with the seed business in Nepal for variety
development and maintenance, seed multiplication, seed processing and conditioning, seed marketing, and seed quality control and use. This vision has clearly identified the gaps, opportunities, and strategies to be adopted to achieve the goal and outcomes by 2025 under
the proposed seed system in Nepal.
National Seed Vision 2013-2025
Agriculture